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Diaz 

The Apostle 

of Cuba 




AMERICAN 

BAPTIST PUBLICATION 

SOCIETY 




Frontispiece. 



Alberto Jose Diaz. 



DIAZ 



THE APOSTLE 




KERR BOYCE TUPPER, D. D. 



'»U«18M^ 



PHILADELPHIA 

AMERICAN BAPTIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY 

1420 Chestnut Street 

1896 



The Libra** 
OF ConorBSS 



£ 9aJ7s 



Copyright 1896 by the 
American Baptist Publication Society 



A?- 3? 



I 



DIAZ— THE APOSTLE OF CUBA 



r FHE suggestive remark it is of Pascal that the nota- 
* ble men of the world's life move and shine in 
three distinct and glorious orbits — the orbit of heroism, 
the orbit of intellectuality, and the orbit ot personal 
moral worth. As intelligent students of history we 
must be impressed with the many illustrations of this 
truth. In the first orbit we note the Caesars, the 
Charlemagnes, and the Napoleons of history — men of 
mighty military prowess and splendid martial achieve- 
ments. In the second, we mark the Platos and the 
Homers, the Senecas and the Bacons of the different 
ages — men of genuine mental worth and vast range of 
intellectual power. In the third sphere, standing out 
in consummate glory, are the Martyns, the Wilber- 
forces, the Judsons, and the Careys of history — men 
whose chief excellency consists, not in heroism as the 
world counts the hero, nor in mere intellectuality, but 
rather in a sublime renunciation of self, a passionate 
love of God, and a Christlike devotion to the highest 
interests of their fellows — men who, now as mission- 
aries, now as martyrs, now as philanthropists, now as 
teachers, go up and down our earth illustrating what 
the poet sings : 

3 



4 DIAZ THE APOSTLE OF CUBA 

To honor God, to benefit mankind, 

To serve with lowly gifts the little needs 

Of the poor race for which the God-man died, 

And do it all for love — ah ! this is great, 

And he who does this will achieve a name 

Not only great, but good. 

It is in this last and noblest orbit, to use the figure 
of our Christian philosopher, that the subject of our 
brief sketch, Alberto Jose Diaz, the consecrated Cuban 
missionary, has moved with such conspicuous eminence 
during the past ten years. The life of so heroic a 
spirit as his cannot fail both to interest and to instruct. 

The chief purpose of this monograph, however, 
being to present Diaz in connection with his Christian 
work as a Baptist missionary in Havana, as the devoted 
apostle to Cuba, we must content ourselves with a mere 
outline of his history preceding and leading up to the 
great mission of his life. To many the history of this 
wonderful man is as fascinating as it is instructive. He 
was the eldest son of a devoted mother, who surely 
was as a fruitful vine, since he had no fewer than twenty- 
four brothers and sisters. He received his early edu- 
cation at home and in fitting schools and, at great ex- 
pense on his father's part, a liberal training at the Uni- 
versity of Havana both as an academic and medical 
student. Up to this time he had never seen a Bible, 
notwithstanding his access to the best public and private 
libraries of the island. He was successful in his prac- 
tice as a physician in his native country. His heroism 
and courage as captain among the insurgents are still 



DIAZ THE APOSTLE OF CUBA 5 

remembered. Narrowly escaping from drowning when 
floating on a plank in the sea to get away from pursuing 
foes, who had slain all but three of his companions, he 
was rescued, after twenty-six hours' drifting, by a fishing 
vessel, and safely borne to New York City. Through 
exposure, pneumonia came upon him in Brooklyn and 
an almost fatal illness followed. Prayers for and with 
him were offered by a devout Christian woman, who 
took a deep interest in his temporal and spiritual welfare, 
and recovery came. With it there came the possession 
of new gospel light, which his soul had gotten from 
talking with the noble woman, who had read the Scrip- 
tures to him and agonized with God for his recovery, 
both of body and spirit. In total, affectionate self- 
surrender, he gave himself to Jesus Christ as personal 
Master and Redeemer, and returned to Cuba — the re- 
bellion being over and amnesty proclaimed. His whole 
soul was aflame with enthusiasm to declare the good tid- 
ings of great joy to all the people in that blighted, priest- 
ridden land, although his reward in part was persistent 
and cruel persecution by priests and other enemies of 
the true faith. Even his own mother rejected him, 
although afterward she became, and is to-day, a devoted 
co-laborer with her son in the gospel. He soon re- 
turned to Brooklyn, which was still fragrant with the 
memories of a godly woman and the presence of the 
Holy Spirit. At the Calvary Baptist Church, New York 
City, he witnessed with his sister the first apostolic bap- 
tism his eyes had ever beheld, and deep conviction of 
its biblical truth fastened itself upon him. His own 



O DIAZ THE APOSTLE OF CUBA 

baptism followed soon afterward, about thirteen years 
ago, in Gethsemane Baptist Church, Brooklyn, upon 
glad confession of personal trust in our once buried and 
now risen and exalted Christ, his sister Minnie having 
preceded him in this duty. His appeal to our Ameri- 
can Baptist Home Mission Society to send him as mis- 
sionary to Cuba was declined because of lack of funds, 
and he was accepted by the Women's Bible Society in 
Philadelphia as missionary to Cuba, and departed in 
1883 for that land, for whose redemption he constantly 
and earnestly prayed and pined. His spiritual solitude 
there among the ignorant, idolatrous adherents of 
Rome ; his earnest endeavors to disseminate the Scrip- 
tures, both as oracle of faith and manual of devotion ; 
his arrest and imprisonment by the police as a possible 
conspirator ; his songs and prayers, like those of Paul 
and Silas, in prison, and their holy influence upon his 
fellow-prisoners ; his appeal as an American citizen for 
release, and its speedy attainment ; the organization by 
him and his friends of the '-'Society for Religious Wor- 
ship," which, however, for safety against native in- 
fluence, was changed to " Reformed Church of Cuba" ; 
the futile demand by the priests and bishops of the 
Episcopal Church to draw this new organization into 
their fraternity; the firm, intelligent determination of 
Diaz and his co-laborers to organize themselves into a 
regular apostolic Baptist church, based upon the New 
Testament, and the New Testament alone, as they un- 
derstood it ; his separation from the Philadelphia Bible 
Society and his connection with the Home Mission 



DIAZ THE APOSTLE OF CUBA J 

Board of the Southern Baptist Convention ; his ordina- 
tion as a Baptist minister in Florida ; the conversion 
and baptism of his father and mother as happy believers 
in their Lord; — all this forms a fascinating part of the 
story of what has been now for years his glad and glo- 
rious, his persuasive and permanent, his God-glorifying 
and man-saving, work in his much-loved native land. 

A most attractive spot, in some respects, is this arena 
of Diaz' labors, it being the largest and most fertile 
of the West India Islands, known first as Juana, then 
as Fernandine, now as Cuba. The people are naturally 
docile, generous, polite, far in character above the 
haughty, cruel, unreliable Spaniard. Romanism, how- 
ever, has for centuries, and in every direction, cast its 
blighting, withering, and awful influence over this 
beautiful garden spot. As a result, the people as a 
class have but little knowledge of the Bible and less 
reverence for the Lord's Day. They are ignorant of 
civil liberty and religious liberty. . For wherever the 
Spanish law has gone, as another has well said, the hand 
of the Inquisition has stifled liberty and conscience, 
and wherever Romanism has undisputed sway, man- 
hood and womanhood have been degraded. Strangers 
also these Cubans are to the Christianity uncovered by 
human ritual, untainted by human tradition. Above 
all things, these Cubans need a pure, unemasculated 
evangel, which can relieve their consciences, illumine 
their intellects, redeem their spirits, transform their 
lives, and make them, in deed and in truth, new crea- 
tions in Christ Jesus. Such an evangel Alberto Diaz 



8 DIAZ THE APOSTLE OF CUBA 

has sought now for a decade to give them in tears and 
prayers, in suffering and sacrifice. 

And what does this decade of toil and hardship, of 
consecrated energy and devoted self-denial by this man 
of God, reveal in the way of solid, substantial work for 
the Master and his kingdom in Cuba ? 

It is hardly too much to say that few missions have 
been so successful as that of Alberto Diaz. In his fas- 
cinating "Story of Diaz," Dr. G. W. Lasher gives the 
following facts: "During the first fifteen months after 
the organization of his church, Diaz baptized three 
hundred converts, all intelligently leaving the church of 
Rome and covenanting with each other to live and 
labor for the redemption of Cuba from the thraldom of 
Romanism. They know what they believe, and, above 
all, they know why they no longer sympathize with the 
church of Rome, ruled over by priests and bishops. 
Among the baptized was every member of Diaz' own 
family and his wife's family — seventeen in all. During 
these fifteen months these people had given one thou- 
sand and seventy-eight dollars and fifty cents for the 
support of their own church, eighty dollars for missions 
in Florida, and two dollars to each of the Southern 
Boards. They called their organization the 'Geth- 
semane Baptist Church,' for the church in Brooklyn, 
New York, where Alberto and Minnie Diaz had been 
baptized." In 1889 the Jane Theatre was pur- 
chased for Diaz' work at a cost of sixty-five thou- 
sand dollars, the original cost of the building being 
one hundred and forty thousand dollars. This is a 




'"IlllfcSlSS^: 



DIAZ THE APOSTLE OF CUBA 9 

handsome, attractive structure, built of white stone, 
the inside finished with white marble, the balcony of 
iron enameled with white. It is lighted throughout 
with electricity and gas, which gives a very pleasing 
effect to the auditorium. In one part of the house we 
read on the walls Dios es Amor ; on another, Cuba 
para Christos. At the back of the platform, a bap- 
tistery has been arranged with running water, while in 
front, where once were footlights, is the preacher's 
stand. The theatre is capable of seating about three 
thousand, and is situated in the busy part of the city, 
accessible to the residents of Havana and near the chief 
hotels, thus making attendance upon these services con- 
venient to those who visit the city, among whom in 
winter are many Americans. 

The Gethsemane Church and its branches in Havana, 
to which Dr. Diaz has given himself so nobly, numbers 
at present about two thousand six hundred and seven- 
teen members, while fully three thousand rejoicing con- 
verts to a pure Christianity have been baptized by him 
and his helpers. It is estimated that no fewer than 
ten thousand persons have applied for baptism at the 
hands of our missionary there, but he rejects many 
because without evidence of a regenerating and saving 
faith in the Son of God. Hear his own words on this 
matter: "We have no difficulty in getting the people 
to be baptized, for as soon as they become members 
the first thing they ask is to be baptized. We, of 
course, are obliged to use discretion as to whom we 
accept as members, for there are many people there 



IO DIAZ THE APOSTLE OF CUBA 

who sympathize with us, known as the anti- Catholics. 
They have left the Catholic Church, but still have not 
received Christ, and are not regenerated. These are 
not the people we want ; we want all our members to 
be hard and earnest workers for Christ. We keep a 
book in our church, and at the end of every service we 
ask all present who are not members of the congrega- 
tion, but sympathize with us, to come forward and sign 
the book. There are about eight thousand names on 
it now." 

And the most potential factor, humanly speaking, 
in this vast and varied Christian work is the enthusias- 
tic, devoted personality of Dr. Diaz himself. One who 
knows him well has put it well when he says: "On 
that morning when Diaz landed in Havana, without 
money, without friends, without support, with nothing 
but his Bible, determined, God helping him, to win 
Cuba for Christ, it was a picture of moral heroism 
never surpassed in the history of Christian devotion. 
He might have uttered there and then the words of the 
apostle to the Gentiles : ' I could wish myself accursed 
from Christ for my brethren, my kindred according to 
the flesh. ' Through all the years of his ministry his 
spirit has known no abatement. With a zeal deterred 
by no dangers, faltering at no obstacles, and with a 
faith in God which surmounted every trial, he has pre- 
sented himself a living sacrifice to the work he has un- 
dertaken ; exemplifying every Christian virtue in his 
consecrated life, he has infused the same spirit into 
his converts. Such an example could not fail to exert 



DIAZ THE APOSTLE OF CUBA II 

a controlling power over the lives of those who accept 
his doctrines. When they read in their Bibles of faith, 
courage, patience, love, devotion to duty, self-denial, 
whole-hearted service for Christ, they see in their great 
leader's life the meaning of these teachings, and they 
follow him as he follows Christ. ' ' 

The beneficent influence of this Gethsemane Church 
is incalculable, felt as it is widely and deeply over the 
entire island. One colporter recently gave testimony 
that since this Baptist work began, he has sold more 
than thirty thousand Testaments and Bibles outside 
of Havana, as he made visits from door to door in 
the principal cities and towns of Cuba, the people 
speaking of the word of God as "the living light 
from heaven." Another Bible distributer relates that 
when lately on a train, coming from Havana to Matan- 
zas, he was offering his Bibles for sale, a priest asking 
of him what book he was selling, being informed that 
it was the Scriptures, bought a copy and began to ex- 
amine it. In a few moments this priest was noticed 
tearing the book in a hundred pieces and throwing the 
leaves out of the window. Some one sitting near him 
asked why he so treated it, and the priest replied : "It 
is a bad book, used only by heretics. ' ' The curiosity 
of the travelers was so aroused by the priest's action 
that the colporter immediately sold the remaining seven, 
God thus using the wrath of man to praise him. These 
are two instances only of how the word is having free 
course and being glorified in connection with Diaz' 
work in that land of superstition and spiritual dark- 



12 DIAZ THE APOSTLE OF CUBA 

ness. Nor are these cases exceptional. The Secretary 
of the Home Mission Board of the Southern Baptist 
Convention, under which Dr. Diaz prosecutes his im- 
portant work, writes: "The determined efforts of the 
bishop of Havana to destroy it have resulted in its in- 
creased popularity and influence. Failing in his well- 
planned schemes to overthrow it, he has publicly de- 
clared that Alberto J. Diaz, the superintendent of the 
Baptist missions, is such a favorite with the Cuban offi- 
cials, that they are unwilling to do justice to the Catholic 
Church. It is not too much to say that one-half the 
population sympathize with Brother Diaz in his contest 
with the bishop." 

In the cemetery which Diaz years ago secured for 
his Havana church, and to which the natives have given 
the attractive name of "Flower Garden," there have 
been sold up to the present time seventeen thousand 
graves, the larger part of them being purchased by 
Catholics, who can buy here a grave at a much less 
cost than in the Catholic cemetery, where, besides 
being high in price, the burial place belongs to the 
purchaser for five years only, at the expiration of 
which time, unless more money is paid, the body 
buried is removed to a common receptacle and the 
vacant grave used for another burial. The sale of 
cemetery lots was a source of great revenue to our 
church in Havana until the Catholics, in self-defense, 
were obliged to give free burial to those of their num- 
ber who needed it. 

Dr. Diaz has no truer nor more liberal friend and 






DIAZ THE APOSTLE OF CUBA 1 3 

supporter than J. S. Paine, of Cambridge, who gave to 
this missionary his first two hundred dollars with which 
to buy a burial place for his people. Under the date of 
April 27, he writes: "I have been interested in the 
Havana church from its beginning, which was about 
twelve years ago last June. My wife and I arrived in 
Havana in February of the same year. We have spent 
many winters in Cuba, and know of Dr. Diaz' work. 
We partook of the first communion service conducted 
by him. Most solemn and impressive it was, with 
doors and windows closed and the room dimly lighted 
for fear of trouble from those outside. Dr. Diaz is not 
only a preacher of the gospel, but a physician and sur- 
geon of ability, having graduated from the medical 
school in Havana. Besides preaching the gospel he 
maintains a hospital for women and children, which has 
done a vast amount of good and been the means of 
many helpful additions to the church. The church in 
Havana has gone gloriously onward ever since its organ- 
ization." 

This testimony of Mr. Paine is corroborated by the 
author of the "Story of Diaz," when he says : "From 
the time of entering the new house, the course of the 
church and pastor and his fellow-helpers has been con- 
stantly onward. The new believers are taught that 
works must result from their faith ; that they are to 
make sacrifices for Christ, and are to contribute accord- 
ing to their ability for the spread of the gospel. The 
treasurer of the church meets the candidate for baptism 
between the dressing room and the baptistery, and asks 



14 DIAZ THE APOSTLE OF CUBA 

him how much he proposed to give for the support of 
the gospel. No member is retained who does not do 
something. Consequently there is constant progress. 
One mission station after another has been established, 
and as a need of preachers and pastors has arisen, the 
Lord of the harvest has provided the men for the re- 
spective fields." Even so far back as eight years ago 
the work of Gethsemane Church was reported as fol- 
lows : Missionaries, twenty ; churches and stations, 
twenty-seven ; baptisms, three hundred ; Sunday- 
schools, twenty-six ; teachers and pupils, two thousand 
two hundred and twenty-eight ; total membership of 
the seven churches, one thousand four hundred and 
ninety-three ; money collected by these churches, two 
thousand two hundred and fifty-five dollars and seventy 
cents. 

One is amused as well as touched to learn the method 
of Dr. Diaz, on a certain occasion, in the selection of 
deacons for his church. The account he gives speaks 
volumes for the consecration of this simple-hearted, 
Christ-believing, God-glorifying folk. In his own naive 
way he reports it to us. " My people," says he, ''are of 
a peculiarly jealous nature. If one of them is selected 
to perform a duty, they think that he is in better favor 
than the rest and are accordingly much hurt. This was 
the difficulty which confronted me when I found it nec- 
essary for me to select the seven deacons to aid in car- 
rying on the church work. I studied the problem over 
for some time, and at last hit upon a plan which I 
thought would work satisfactorily. One Thursday even- 



DIAZ THE APOSTLE OF CUBA I 5 

ing, at the close of the services, I announced that the 
next Sunday we would select the deacons, and that the 
sermon would be on the duties of the deacons. That 
Sunday every member was present, and the church was 
crowded. I told them that it was the duty of the dea- 
cons when they were notified of a case of smallpox to 
go immediately and attend to it ; the same if it were a 
case of cholera, or in any epidemic, they must be the 
first to be present and offer aid, and the last to come 
away ; that they were to have their Testaments with 
them always, and were to make a conversion whenever 
the opportunity presented itself. After presenting the 
case in as serious a light as possible, I requested those 
who felt courageous enough to assume the responsibili- 
ties of the position to stand up. The whole congrega- 
tion stood up. I knew it would be useless to attempt 
to make any selections, so I said to them, ' Go ahead, 
you are all deacons. ' Now they all carry their New 
Testaments around with them, and telling, whenever 
they have a chance, of the religion of Christ. Thus, 
you see, we have a whole congregation of workers." 
And the missionary's testimony is borne out by Dr. 
Burrows, Secretary of our Southern Baptist Convention, 
who writes in a sprightly tract : "Grouped around Diaz 
are those who have caught the inspiration of his high 
purpose, and whom he successfully leads in the ever- 
increasing and multiform demands of the work. Under 
this leadership the types of Christian activity are far 
beyond the standard at which American churches are 
content to rest. There are no drones. The week ser- 



1 6 DIAZ THE APOSTLE OF CUBA 

vice and the Sabbath service alike attract the whole 
body of disciples to the place of prayer. The singing 
is common to all. Even children respond when called 
upon with cheerful alacrity to lead the devotions of the 
congregation. No prolonged service wearies them or 
produces signs of discontent. The opportunity given 
at every gathering to contribute of means is accepted 
with cheerfulness. The eagerness and zeal of a Cuban 
Baptist congregation is contagious. ' ' 

And to develop this work, what persecutions this man 
of God, this apostle of Christ, has had to endure ! Take 
this one case as he himself tells of it in 1890 : 

' ' Last year, as I was about to start for the United 
States to come to the meeting at Northfield, I received 
an invitation to visit a town a little way from Havana to 
preach ; everything was in readiness. This opportunity 
of holding a meeting in that town was not to be lost. 
They had secured the theatre for the occasion, and we 
expected to have a large number of people present. I 
decided to go. When I arrived in the town I found 
the theatre all lighted and nearly full of people, await- 
ing me before commencing the services. We opened 
the meeting by singing a hymn, and as I arose to 
preach, a policeman came into the room, and said : 

" 'You cannot have your meeting here.' 

" 'Why,' said I, 'we are inside of a building, and 
are not breaking any law. ' 

" 'This is a public building,' he replied, 'and I have 
orders not to allow you to hold your meeting here. ' 

"We consulted among ourselves, and decided to 



DIAZ THE APOSTLE OF CUBA I 7 

hold our meeting in the Baptist church. The church 
was a small affair, and would not hold more than fifty. 
On arriving there we found that nearly all the people 
had accompanied us, and that the edifice could not ac- 
commodate them all. The pastor of the church, how- 
ever, had a large yard or court behind his house which 
was enclosed with high walls, and he gave us permission 
to have our meeting there. We accepted his hospital- 
ity, and putting up some candles in various parts of the 
court, opened the meeting. We sang hymns and 
preached, and were very happy that the Lord had at 
last enabled us to hold a meeting in that town. At the 
close of the meeting we sang the hymn, ' We will soon 
be at home over there,' and just as I was singing this 
line, a soldier, who had come into the yard unobserved, 
stepped up to me, and said : 

" 'Yes, you will soon be at home over there ' (point- 
ing to the jail). 

' ' The whole congregation protested when they saw 
the soldiers preparing to arrest us and take us away, 
saying : 

"'If you take these men to jail, you must take us 
too.' 

"We calmed the people, and told them it was best 
to go quietly, and all would be well. The soldiers 
conducted us to the house of the mayor, and showed 
us into his presence. 

"After he had taken our names and asked the cus- 
tomary questions, he began to interrogate us in this 
way : 

B 



I 8 DIAZ THE APOSTLE OF CUBA 

" 'Well, mister,' said he, turning to one of my 
companions, ' what have you been doing up there ? ' 

" 'I have been reading the Bible,' was the answer 
given. 

" 'Put him in jail for reading the Bible,' said the 
mayor. 

" 'Now, sir, what have you been doing up there?' 
said he to the other. 

" 'I have been praying and singing.' 

" 'Put him in jail for praying and singing,' com- 
manded the mayor. 

"'Well,' said he, turning to me, 'what have you 
been doing ? ' 

" 'I have been reading the Bible and preaching the 
gospel,' I answered. 

" 'Put him in jail for reading the Bible and preach- 
ing the gospel,' he ordered. 

' ' And thus our three cases were disposed of, and we 
were taken to the jail at two o'clock in the morning, to 
be incarcerated among criminals and desperadoes of the 
worst description, for the crime of having a meeting to 
glorify our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We said to 
ourselves after they had put us in our cell and left us : 

" 'Well, we are here, let us hold another service and 
see if they will put us out for the same reason that 
they have put us in. ' We began to sing and pray, and 
kept it up until five o'clock in the morning. 

"Our friends in Havana, learning that we were im- 
prisoned, notified the consul-general, requesting that 
he have us released, as we were American citizens and 



DIAZ THE APOSTLE OF CUBA 1 9 

doing nothing wrong. The consul, however, was afraid 
of the power of the priests, and would not take any 
action, fearing that he might offend them. Finding 
that we need not expect any assistance from him, we 
notified our friends in New York, and Mr. J. S. Paine, 
of your city, asking them to render us as much aid as 
possible. We also telegraphed to the Secretary of 
State, Mr. James G. Blaine, telling him of the circum- 
stances regarding our arrest and imprisonment and 
asked that he send orders for our release. Now, Mr. 
Blaine was not afraid of the priests, and sent a cable- 
gram right back to the consul with instructions that he 
take us from the prison immediately. The consul came 
himself and had us released. The Cuban officials in- 
vestigated our case, and at the end of nine months 
concluded that we had broken no law, and were inno- 
cent of any crime. They now gave us license to hold 
our meetings in any part of the country. Thus you 
may see how in these two cases the persecution worked 
directly for our benefit." 

Among the most interesting incidents of Diaz are 
those connected with the conversion and baptism of 
his own parents. How simple it is, as told by himself 
five years ago in Boston. Said he, on that occasion in 
an address in the Clarendon Street Baptist Church : 

" I immediately commenced my labors in my own fam- 
ily. They were astonished and troubled to hear me 
talking of Christ, the Bible, and salvation, and were 
greatly opposed to it, my mother refusing to listen to 
me. Every member of the family was against me, with 



20 DIAZ THE APOSTLE OF CUBA 

the exception ot a little four-year-old sister, who, after 
hearing of Christ, said, ' I like that Man and will love 
him.' My mother was a Catholic, and very bitter 
against what I said. She called me a Protestant, a 
heretic, and a Jew. She said, ' I will not speak to you 
if you do not come back to the church and the religion I 
taught you.' I tried to tell her about Christ and his 
word, but she would not listen to me; all she would 
say was, ' If you are my son and love me, you will 
leave that religion and come back to the Catholic 
Church.' She knew very well that I loved her, and 
what she said troubled me very much; we lived in the 
same house for months without her speaking to me. I 
trusted in the Lord, however, and prayed every night 
and morning for her conversion. Within six months 
she came into our congregation and became a member. 
Let me tell you of the way in which it came about. 
We were holding one of our evening meetings with 
quite a large number of people present. I was very 
much surprised to see my mother come in and take a 
seat; she never attended any of our meetings. Her 
presence disturbed me, as I thought she had come to 
reprove me before the people, but, mastering my feel- 
ings, I preached my usual sermon and then gave the in- 
vitation for those who wished to become members to 
stand up. Four people arose; my mother was one of 
them. Now I thought sure she was going to speak 
to me. Three of the people stood on my right side, 
and my mother was on the left side. Not know- 
ing what she was going to do, I turned my back to her 



DIAZ THE APOSTLE OF CUBA 21 

and began to examine the other three, thinking she 
would think better of what she was about to do and go 
away. I was intently engaged with the three persons 
whom I was examining, when one of the brothers said: 

"'Mr. Diaz, there is your mother standing over 
there; why don't you speak to her? ' Turning to her, 
I said: 

" ' Well, mother, what are you doing here ? ' 

"'Alberto,' said she, 'don't you want me in your 
church ? ' 

" 'Yes, mother, we want you if you are ready to re- 
ceive the Lord Jesus Christ; but how is it that you 
have changed ? ' I asked in some surprise. 

"'Through the Lord Jesus Christ, whom I have 
found in your Bible,' she answered. 

" Then she stood up and told the people of the trouble 
we had had, how she had not spoken to me for so long 
a time, but when she had read my Bible and found the 
way to salvation, she could no longer resist coming and 
joining us. 

" I examined her then, asking all the questions which 
I knew she had disliked to be asked. Did she still be- 
lieve in the pope, the priests, and confession ? She 
said : 

" 'I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ; let all those 
things pass, I do not care for them now.' 

" When my mother was in my own hands, and I was 
about to immerse her, all the words that my tongue 
would give utterance to were — 

" 'Lord Jesus, this is my mother, have mercy.' 



22 DIAZ THE APOSTLE OF CUBA 

"Everything was working nicely, and we were meeting 
success on every hand. The only thing that troubled 
me was that I had been unable to convert my father. 
He was a man of science who, immersed in his scien- 
tific studies, thought, like many others, that religion 
was something good enough for women and children, 
but nothing for a man to have anything to do with. I 
approached him one day with my Bible, and said: 

" ' Father, don't you want to read this book ? ' 

" ' No,' said he, ' that book is too old; I want some- 
thing new.' 

" 'Why, father, you don't know anything about it, 
this book is always new; in it you will find an answer 
for any question you may have. If it is not there, it is 
nowhere. ' 

"'Well,' he said, 'I may read it sometime. ' And 
thus he put me off. 

"It discouraged me very much, but mother and I 
prayed night and morning for his conversion. My 
little sister heard us in our prayer one morning, as we 
were asking the Lord to aid us in the conversion of my 
father, and she said: 

' ' ' Well, what are you troubled so much about father 
for?' 

' < ' We want to get father to read the Bible and be 
converted,' I answered. 

" 'Do you think, Alberto, that if he reads the Bible 
he will be converted ? ' she exclaimed. 

" 'Yes,' I said ; 'if we can only get him to read the 
Bible he will soon be converted.' 



DIAZ THE APOSTLE OF CUBA 23 

' ' ' Then I will make him read the Bible, ' she ex- 
claimed. So in about three or four days, when Sunday 
came, she went to him, putting on her gloves and, mak- 
ing him believe she was in a great hurry, said: 

" ' Father, won't you please read those three or four 
verses for me ? I am in a great hurry, and I want to know 
my lesson before I go to Sunday-school.' Father 
loves her very much, and would do anything for her, so 
he took her Bible and read the verses she had pointed 
out to him. He did not ' smell the rat, ' and she, 
under various pretences, succeeded in keeping him 
reading the Bible for her. Early one morning I awoke 
and saw a light in my sister's room, and being afraid 
that she might be sick, I went in to see what was the 
matter. For a moment I was so surprised at what 
I saw that I could not speak. There sat my father 
reading the Bible at four o'clock in the morning. I said 
to him: 

" ' Father, what have you been doing here ? ' 

" ' Oh, I have been reading this book,' he answered; 
* what time is it ? ' 

" ' Four o'clock,' I told him. 

" ' Four o'clock! No,' he said ; 'it cannot be more 
than eleven.' 

" But I told him it was really four o'clock, and asked 
how he liked the book. 

"*I like this book,' he said, 'and will go with you 
next Sunday. ' 

"He came to the church with us the following Sunday, 
and was baptized and received into the congregation." 



24 DIAZ THE APOSTLE OF CUBA 

A noble, philanthropic work Diaz has sought to do in 
establishing Red Cross stations, or "Blood Hospitals," 
as they are called in Cuba, for the help of the wounded 
and ill among the Spanish and Cuban soldiers. These 
hospitals are distributed, six or seven in number, 
throughout the center of the island where the present 
fighting occurs, and where the Spanish Government has 
about twenty thousand soldiers. Each of these sta- 
tions consists of a native physician, selected from the 
locality where the station is situated, two Baptist women 
nurses, and usually about ten male helpers. Each of 
these stations is thoroughly equipped with medical sup- 
plies, appliances, and instruments for surgical use. Each 
station has assigned to it a definite territory in which it 
is expected to operate. The plan of operation is to 
move closely after the columns of troops, and when an 
engagement takes place the men connected with the hos- 
pital go immediately on the battleground and carry out 
the wounded from both armies as rapidly as possible to 
the hospital tent, where they receive immediate surgical 
and other necessary attention. Since the organization of 
these stations many lives have been saved which would 
otherwise have been lost but for prompt attention 
rendered to the wounded. These stations are entirely 
impartial between the two armies, devoting their best 
skill to relieving the wounded and suffering on either 
side. Each of the contending forces usually removes 
its own wounded after the battles are over, finding 
many of them in the tender care of the nurses at these 
stations and often discovering that life had been saved. 



DIAZ THE APOSTLE OF CUBA 25 

This work is greatly appreciated by the soldiers of both 
armies, and has also received complimentary official rec- 
ognition from the government of Spain. 

As far back as September of last year we read of Diaz' 
visit to Sagua and St. Domingo and other towns, organ- 
izing these stations. In visiting these places, our Chris- 
tian hero narrowly escaped death on one occasion 
through a battle between the Spanish and Insurgents, 
and the very next day he started out again, saying : " I 
have made ready my satchel to leave Havana for Santa 
Clara and Sagua again Monday morning, and in the 
name of the Lord I go. He will take care of me and 
help me in this new organization of the work." 

A short time since not only the Baptist fraternity but 
all American Christians were startled to learn that this 
devoted laborer of God and of man had been arrested 
and imprisoned in Havana, the Spanish authorities sus- 
pecting him of being sympathetic with the Insurgent 
forces in the movement for independence. It was not 
the first time that this affliction had come to him. Less 
than six years ago, in June, 1890, he, with two assist- 
ants, was imprisoned in Wianno, the Mayor of the vil- 
lage having them locked up in the common jail. We 
recall reading how the Christians and people gathered 
in front of the prison and threatened to mob the au- 
thorities, and would doubtless have used violence had 
not Diaz himself, appearing on the balcony, besought 
them to be peaceable and quiet. Two days and a half 
these Christians were imprisoned and then released. 
Hear our missionary's own account of the event : 



26 DIAZ THE APOSTLE OF CUBA 

" I had occasion to go to the city of Wianno, which is a 
short distance from Havana, to distribute some Bibles 
which had been sent to me by the ladies in Philadel- 
phia, and had them in a box in the freight car. When 
we reached our destination, I noticed a man come into 
the car and talked to the passengers. I paid no atten- 
tion to him, as I thought he was a baggageman. At 
last he reached the seat in which I was sitting, and 
asked if my name was Diaz. 

" 'Yes, that is my name,' I answered. 

" ' Then you are my man,' he said, putting his hand 
on my shoulder. 

" ' What do you mean ? ' I asked. 

" ' I am the mayor of this town,' he said, ' and I am 
here to arrest you. ' 

" I at first thought that this was a joke, and thinking to 
make matters smooth, I took him by the hand, and 
said: 

" ' Why, don't you remember me; were you not an 
old schoolfellow of mine at the university ? ' 

" 'No,' he answered, 'I am the magistrate of this 
town, and I am here to put you in jail. You must 
come with me.' 

" Finding that it would be useless to prolong our talk, 
I got up and left the car with him. On the platform I 
found ten or twelve soldiers under arms waiting for me 
to escort me to jail, and then I can assure you I knew 
if was no joke. The magistrate asked me if there was 
anything in the car belonging to me. I told him that 
there was a box of Bibles in the freight car. He 



DIAZ THE APOSTLE OF CUBA 2J 

ordered the soldiers to bring the box out and put it 
on a team. Everything being ready, they formed their 
lines and put me in the center, and with the team with 
my box of Bibles leading the way, we started off 
through the town to the jail. The children followed 
us in the street, and the men and women came to the 
doors and windows of their houses to see us go by. 
They all wanted to see the 'filibuster man/ as I was 
called. When we arrived at the jail, without advising 
me why I was to be held, they put me in one cell and 
my box of Bibles in another. Sunday came, and I asked 
the jailer for permission to go among the prisoners and 
talk to them. 

" ' No,' he said, 'the mayor says you are a danger- 
ous fellow, and that I must not have anything to do 
with you or your book.' " 

But Diaz appealed as an American citizen to the 
United States Consul, who at once took the matter in 
hand and demanded of the authorities immediate re- 
lease or a trial on some specific charge. The authori- 
ties being unable to find that he had broken any laws, 
released him at once. 

But greater excitement, however, prevailed (1896) 
when all over the land there was flashed along the wires 
that Diaz was again a prisoner for conscience' sake. To 
him as an American citizen, as well as one whose citizen- 
ship is in heaven, all eyes have been turned, and a com- 
mentary on his good name and widespread fame is the 
complimentary manner in which the secular press has 
spoken of this Baptist hero. 



28 DIAZ THE APOSTLE OF CUBA 

The Washington correspondent of the "Philadelphia 
Press" said: 

There are few men more popular among the Baptists of this 
country than is Diaz. Since his conversion to that faith he has 
been prominent at their annual conferences, and his speeches and 
discourses have aroused enthusiasm. He has been to Washing- 
ton several times. He is a little man, inclined to be fat, and looks 
like a Mexican. His manner is nervous and full of enthusiasm, 
conspicuous for that chivalry peculiar to a certain class of the 
Latin race. He is intensely in earnest at all times, arousing the 
emotions of those brought under his influence. The dash and 
courage which marked him as a revolutionist before he joined the 
mission of the church he has carried into his religious work. I 
am told by ministers of that church that he is regarded as the 
most successful of all their missionary workers. They say that 
what he has accomplished in Cuba is extraordinary. His earnest- 
ness and enthusiasm are contagious. An example of his influence 
is given in a story of his having converted and baptized his jailer 
while in prison. The Baptists in this country are greatly inter- 
ested in his fate. The awakening of their sympathy with the 
Cuban cause through their interest in him is likely to result in ma- 
terial aid to the revolutionists. Should harm come to him, this 
sympathy would probably set at defiance the laws of neutrality. 
A minister of one of the leading churches of that denomination 
here said to me the other day that if Diaz were not set at liberty, 
there would be an army of Baptists ready to fight the battles of 
Cuba, and thousands would find means of joining the Cuban 
army. 

At a special meeting of the Home Mission Board of 
the Southern Baptist Convention, the following resolu- 
tion was unanimously adopted : 

Resolved, That the Board has heard with the deepest pain of 
the imprisonment of Bro. A. J. Diaz by the Spanish authorities in 
Cuba; that we are profoundly impressed with the duty of doing 



DIAZ THE APOSTLE OF CUBA 2Q, 

all in our power to preserve the life and secure the liberty 01 our 
beloved brother; that for this purpose we invite all Baptists every- 
where, and such other Christian brethren as may sympathize with 
us, to unite in a common effort to influence the authorities of our 
land to do everything consistent with the honor of our country to 
accomplish our wishes; that public meetings be held by them and 
such others as may sympathize with us, and due expression of 
their desires be forwarded to senators, representatives, and other 
public officials, advising them that the entire constituency of the 
Southern Convention, aided by sympathizing friends from every 
part of the country, are united in one sacred effort for the deliver- 
ance of a man of God who, by his unselfish devotion and his un- 
flinching courage, has endeared himself to all who are familiar 
with his history ; that for this purpose we ask that the Baptists 
throughout the South will, through their respective churches and 
other organizations, make contributions to a fund providing for 
the expense attending efforts for his relief, but more especially as 
a tangible expression of their sympathy for him and for his deliv- 
erance from the dangers environing him. 

How speedily and graciously has God responded to 
the prayers of his people for their brother in affliction ! 
While these lines are writing Dr. Diaz is on the sea, 
bound,, as were the Pilgrim Fathers centuries ago, for 
our land of priceless personal liberty, universal politi- 
cal equality, absolute, joyous, unrestricted religious free- 
dom. 

Hut must the work, so nobly and gloriously begun in 
Cuba by Diaz, cease now and come to naught through 
the commotions and wars which at present agitate this 
promising island? Let us, in all earnestness and faith, 
pray the great God of the harvest that such may not be 
the calamity so widely feared. What has been thus far 
accomplished for Christ's cause in Cuba is, as one in 



30 DIAZ THE APOSTLE OF CUBA 

close touch with the work has said, " but the beginning 
of this region's evangelization." 

With all these triumphs, the great mass of spiritual destitution 
has but been touched. Compared with the dense population, 
numerically, the Christian Baptists are but a feeble folk. There 
has been but a single sun ray piercing the rotten muck. All that 
has passed has been but a work of preparation. But where in the 
history of modern missions was there ever such a beginning as 
this? Compare Judson's seven years of waiting with Diaz' first 
service, memorable to him because his own fanatic mother was 
the first trophy of the Spirit's power. . . 

Only a beginning, yet a beginning like the dawn of its open 
tropic land, without the long-extended twilight, with slow creep- 
ing of ruddy hues upon the eastern horizon. As the sun seems to 
leap with the ardor and vitality of youth from amidst the gloomy 
curtains of the nights into the glory and splendor of a magnificent 
day, the gospel has shone upon the gem of the Caribbean. 

The future looks dark. Clouds, heavy and ominous, 
partly obscure the firmament of our hope. As the 
writer pens this page, there is handed him the fol- 
lowing letter (with a few verbal changes) from one of 
the < ' faithful ' ' of Cuba : 

Havana, April 24, 1896. 

Very soon now we shall be entirely without ministers. Dr. Diaz 
is the last one here, and he leaves to-morrow, ordered away by 
the government. A week ago Sunday he baptized three girls from 
the school, and there was an unusually good turnout; the follow- 
ing Thursday, at five A. m., he and his brother were arrested, his 
house searched, but nothing found. Dr. Diaz offered the officials 
coffee. After they partook they escorted both to the police sta- 
tion, where they were put into solitary confinement with a chair 
to sit on. On Friday A. m. Mr. Porta found his way to them and 
sent a message by the guard, and the reply through the guard was, 



DIAZ THE APOSTLE OF CUBA 3 I 

two cots and breakfast for two; until then they had had no food. 
After the fou.lh day the family could see them at twelve P. M. and 
yesterday. The following Thursday we had our last prayer meet- 
ing in the church. On Wednesday, five P. M., Dr. Diaz and his 
brother were turned out of jail. The consul, of course, was em- 
ployed and telegrams sent to the States. It is over now. I shall 
be glad to see them outside the Morro Castle. Nothing has been 
proved against them ; no one thinks it is a political affair ; but 
rather the persecutions of the church in disguise. 

Well, the meetings are closed and nothing has ever been sadder 
here, except Dr. Diaz' father's funeral. It was a deluge of tears, 
beginning with the pastor. He has sterling qualities and knows 
no fear. I was surprised to hear him talk in such a fearless way. 
He mentioned that the same police that had imprisoned him be- 
fore were present. They were in disguise, and he recognized 
them in passing up the aisle and took them to a better seat, just 
behind us, and you may not believe it, they sang. Had I known 
or suspected who they were, I would have given them my hymn 
book, the words were all so appropriate; it was heartrending; we all 
felt terribly. I will send you the hymns. The chapter was Acts 
20. Every verse of each hymn seemed to have a sermon in it. All 
was so kind, such persuasion, so much loving advice for his people 
from our pastor during his absence, such entreaties not to aban- 
don their faith or church associations. Poor Mr. Porta is devoted 
to Dr. Diaz; all were very much affected; one handkerchief was 
not sufficient to absorb the flood of tears. 

April 25. Since I began this I hear that Dr. Diaz has ob- 
tained permission to remain until Wednesday to finish all his busi- 
ness. I don't feel safe until I see him on the boat. He was col- 
lared again Thursday evening before service to sign some paper. 
Two policemen took him as if he were some thief. I hope that 
there is something better in store for him and that his work may 
be doubly blessed in the future. All the time his wife and mother 
and sisters were tearing about town in their anxiety about him, 
never one word was uttered against the authorities. They are all 
brave women. Asuncion lost her head, and walked from one end 



32 DIAZ THE APOSTLE OF CUBA 

of Havana to the other trying to catch sight of her brothers, think- 
ing that she had only walked a short distance. When Mr. Porta 
told her how far it was, she said, "No wonder I felt exhausted." 
Alfreda's wife and her five children will live in Rev. Mr. Cova's 
house, and she and Mrs. Diaz, the widow, will take charge of the 
school; but Miss Diaz and the girls live at Buenos Aires at the 
hospital, and take their boarding scholars with them and have a 
school there, and Miss Diaz' sisters live in Neptuno Street and 
keep up that school, so three schools are all that will be left. Mrs. 
Diaz and Asuncion will make an attempt at mission work in some 
of the neighboring families. Mr. Cova is established in Tampa, 
working among the Cubans and Spanish there. The Rev. Mr. 
O'Halloran in Key West; in the same way Mr. Klejo is also in 
Key West. Mr. Porta, Mr. Valdy, and Cruto remain here, and 
we will follow Dr. Diaz' advice and meet as often as possible to 
have service in different localities. Singing is suppressed. The 
cemetery we shall keep open as long as possible. I think I have 
given you all the news of importance; in fact there is not much 
left to talk about. Carlos Diaz was sent with Mr. O'Halloran to 
attend school at Key West. Sincerely yours, 

T. 

Such words as these from a simple, trusting, timor- 
ous heart move our hearts to renewed interest and sym- 
pathy, and call forth more earnest supplication that the 
loving Father above will return to the poor, persecuted 
Baptists their brother and leader from whom they have 
been so cruelly separated, and thus impart to them joy 
for mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of 
heaviness. 









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